Going Back: A Ben 10 Alien Force FanFiction(6)
by ShockScythe
Summary: Battling DarkStar is simple enough but when his plan involving a change in time with a magical portal goes wrong thanks to a few certain Plumbers, Ben, Gwen, Kevin, and Zeke get sent back in time to when Ben and Gwen were 10! Can they make it back or remain trapped 5 years in the past?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello my lovelies. It has been quite a while, hasn't it? For those who care, I have deleted the two-parter from earlier FOR GOOD REASON. I just decided that I should continue the fanfic series for a little while longer before doing a two-parter.**

**Anyways! I only own my character. Everything belongs to its original owner.**

**Enjoy,  
-_ShockScythe_**

* * *

"For the love of... BEN DUCK!" Kevin shouted. I frowned, "I'm not a duck!" Gwen dropped down in front of me, throwing up a magic shield and causing black magic discs to ricochet and bounces on the walls, "Be more careful!" I crossed my arms, "Well SORRY. I could've just absorbed it." DarkStar roared in anger as he pinned Zeke against the wall, draining her energy, "Stop interfering!" Kevin punched him in the side of his head, knocking him away, "You're making a portal...thingy." I glanced at the swirling, black portal thing in the center of the warehouse floor, "What does it do anyway?" Zeke threw ninja stars, "Something bad."  
"What makes you say that?"  
"Don't ask," Gwen advised, approaching the portal, "It feels similar to Paradox..." I snorted, "It feels like Paradox?" Kevin smirked as he punched DarkStar yet again, "Seems legit." She crossed her arms, "If you guys paid attention, you would've noticed." Crates were destroyed as Kevin was knocked into Zeke and they both went flying. Zeke shoved Kevin off of her, "She means it feels like it involves time. Paradox is a time traveler isn't he?" Kevin absorbed a new coat of concrete, "If that's the case, why isn't he here?" Off somewhere, being brutally ignored, was DarkStar. Well, he wasn't ignored for long. Gwen cast a spell and pinned him to the wall behind. Zeke and Kevin came over, "So what're we gonna do about it? I doubt he'll get rid of it," Kevin said. Gwen closed her eyes, putting her hands on her temples, "I think, if I find the right spell, I could get rid of it. We can't have something like this sitting around." DarkStar was no longer a problem and I highly doubt Chromostone would be needed for something like this so I changed back, crossing my arms. Kevin, Zeke, and I stared at the portal, waiting for something to happen. After what seemed like forever, Gwen groaned in defeat, "I can't think of anything!" Kevin tilted his head, "Should we get your book?"  
"It would take too long."  
"Ben, you know what to do."  
I was about to reactivate the Omnitrix when- "YOU WILL NOT INTERFER!" Gwen cried out as DarkStar broke free of her magic. The warehouse suddenly became cold as DarkStar tried absorbing as much power as he could. Then, he let it all out at once.

I thought we were fine; Gwen had thrown up a magical shield. However, the energy he had released suddenly cracked and knocked Gwen off her feet and she fell into the portal. Kevin grabbed her hand before he was blown in himself. I grabbed his ankle and clawed at the ground, trying to keep from being blown in myself. The released energy died down. I took a breath of relief, glad that no one got teleported or whatever. Sadly, I'm usually wrong when it comes to these things. Another blast, though weaker, was enough to send me into the portal. Something soft wrapped itself around my hand and I instinctively grabbed hold of it. One person had not been thrown in- "Ze!" Thank god she hadn't changed back. She was pressed against the ground, holding part of her long, red scarf with one hand and holding a sais stabbed in the concrete. That had to be the only reason why we hadn't all fallen in. I was about to ask how Kevin and Gwen were but DarkStar started shouting, blasting black beams everywhere. One traveled down the portal, just barely missing Kevin. I looked up towards Zeke and could now see her legs as she was dragged down by the weight. Next thing I knew, we were all falling down into the portal. Gwen started screaming, Kevin was "shouting" very manly like, and I was frantically trying to transform. Then Gwen disappeared, followed by Kevin. I looked up at Zeke and was surprised to see that her hand was smoking. Then everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

I sat up, rubbing my head. With a quick look around, I saw we were by a lake. Everything seemed fine so the portal must not have worked properly. Probably because of the amount of people that traveled through it at one time. I lifted my hand and saw that Zeke's scarf was still wrapped around my wrist. I followed it to its owner and crawled towards her, my legs feeling strangely weak, "Hey! Ze!" I called, shaking her as she lay in the grass. Remembering the smoke, I looked at her hand. It seemed fine but faint wisps continued to rise from it. What did DarkStar do? I shook her again, causing her to groan, rolling from her side onto her face, "Five more minutes..." she grumbled. I couldn't help but laugh; she was fine. Suddenly, she jumped up, lifting my arm with her scarf. She stared down at me, her eyes wide, "Who are you?" I raised an eyebrow and undid the scarf from my wrist as I stood, "Not funny, Ze. We have to find Kevin and Gwen."  
"You seem familiar... How do you know Kevin and Gwen?"  
I frowned and looked up at her.  
**. . .**

Wait... What?! I'm supposed to be taller than her! It wasn't that major of a height difference but still. I gaped at her, "Zeke, it's me! Ben!" Her eyes narrowed, "Yeah? Prove it." I smirked, "Oh, I'll prove it. TA-DA!" I shouted, showing her the older version of the Omnitrix. It looked the way it did when I first found it and when I put it on after so many years. "What's that?"  
"The Omnitrix!"  
"Who's the creator?"  
I hesitated, "What if you aren't Zeke and I just reveal it to you?" She crossed her arms, "This is to see if you are Ben. For all I know, that could be a fake Omnitrix."  
"Azmuth."  
"Anyone could've guessed that."  
"Are you kidding me right now?"  
"What am I?"  
"A human, obviously."  
"How am I like this?"  
"Your scarf."  
She turned away, "Anyone could've answered that." I stomped my foot, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?! This isn't 20 Questions, Zeke! I'm Ben Tennyson! I'm the hero! I've saved the universe-"  
"A bajillion times. Alright, I get it."  
She turned back to me and bent down slightly, patting my head, "But why are you like this?"  
"Like what?"  
"You're short and the Omnitrix looks weird. Your hair is a little longer I think."  
I frowned, "I need to see my reflection." Zeke stood up, her eyes twinkling slightly, "This isn't Mulan, Ben."  
"Shut it!"  
"Just look at the water."  
I ran to the water and looked down at my reflection, my jaw dropping; I looked exactly how I did when I was 10!

"Oh, this is bad. This is really bad!" I cried, pacing back and forth in front of Zeke, "We have to find Kevin and Gwen and figure this out! The older Omnitrix has a timer, an annoyingly long cool down, and I can't change aliens as an alien!"  
"Just calm down."  
"I CAN'T."  
"Zeke!"  
We both looked in the direction of the voice, seeing both an 11-year-old Kevin and a 10-year-old Gwen running towards us. Gwen's eyes widened, "Wait, Ben?!" I ran towards them, "Guys! What's going on?!"  
"We traveled back 5 years!"  
Zeke chuckled slightly, "Well that was easy." Kevin pointed at her, "Why aren't you younger?" She shrugged. "Ze, take off the scarf," Gwen said, "I wanna test something." Zeke shrugged and pulled down the scarf, now back to her usual self, "Well?" Gwen seemed so confused, "Magic doesn't have an effect on you but we've traveled back in time, something should've happened to you too."  
"Hold up, hold up," I said, putting my hands up, "Last time we time traveled, we didn't change at all." She waved her finger in front of me, "I know. However, this time travel was done by magic and we don't have Paradox with us."  
"Where is that guy anyways?" Kevin demanded, "Shouldn't he be here to fix things?" Zeke looked at Gwen, "Don't you have a time travel spell? Does that take an effect on you?"  
"I've never done it myself but I know one exists. However, from what I've heard, the caster doesn't change."  
"Is it because DarkStar didn't use an actual spell then?"  
"I don't know!" Gwen shouted, tugging at her short hair in frustration. "Ben! Gwen!" We all turned in the direction of the voice. Grandpa Max was running towards us, a concerned look on his face. I sighed in relief and ran to greet him, "Grandpa! Man, are we glad to see you!"  
"Ben! You and your cousin disappeared an hour ago so I got worried."  
His eyes narrowed, "You were with Kevin..?"  
"Grandpa, he's okay!" Gwen said, waving her hands frantically. Grandpa Max grabbed me and Gwen by the collar and yanked us closer to him, "He can't be trusted, you both know that." Kevin frowned sadly, "Max, sir, please. I-"  
"Oh, thank god," Zeke said suddenly, cutting him off, "You must be their Grandpa." She slumped against Kevin looking extremely exhausted as she held her hand to her chest, "They said you'd be able to help us..."  
"I'm afraid I don't understand..."  
"Kevin here saved me from these...monster things! They looked like they came from a whole other world! Aliens!"  
Grandpa Max's eyes widened but he said nothing. I looked at Gwen and mouthed- "Did he tell us he was a Plumber yet?" She shrugged and we looked back at Zeke and Kevin. "The boy tried picking a fight with Kevin and the girl was trying to help me. The boys almost fought but I convinced them otherwise. That's when your grandchildren discussed getting you and then you showed up. Can you help?" Grandpa Max bit his lip and looked at Kevin then back at Zeke. Finally, he sighed, "Okay. Can you walk?" Kevin straightened Zeke up, "I can help her with that." Gwen and I were steered away and towards the Rustbucket parked in the grass a ways away. I looked back at Kevin and Zeke. He looked relieved as he whispered to her, pointing as if saying "I owe you". She nodded, a grin on her face. My eyes traveled to her hand and I saw that part of it was nightmare black.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'M NOT DEAD! I'M SO SORRY!**

"This is very strange," Grandpa Max said, wrapping Zeke's hand with bandages from the first aid kit. While he was with her, I talked with Gwen and Kevin, "Okay, what are we going to do?" Kevin instantly shrugged but Gwen actually took the time to think about it, "DarkStar used some kind of spell, I think... Which is why it had no affect on Ze, who was the Ninja at the time."  
"About that," I said, "magic doesn't have an effect on the suit or scarf, does it?" Gwen nodded, "That's right. But... Let's see... If we could find a concentrated source of magic..." Kevin grinned, "Zeke can break through it and we're home free!"  
"Shh!" I warned, putting a finger to my lips, "We don't want to alert Grandpa Max." Zeke approached us, rubbing her hand, "So what's the plan?"  
"Concentrated magic," Gwen said, putting it simply, "We have to find it and destroy it"  
"So, use your tracking spell," Zeke suggested. Gwen groaned, turning away and hitting her head against the nearest wall, "Why didn't I think of that..." Grandpa Max approached us, glaring at Kevin for a moment before sighing, "Um, Kevin?"  
"Yes sir?"  
"Melody explained everything to me and... Would you like to stay for dinner?"  
Okay, hold up; Zeke told Grandpa Max her real name? And he asked Kevin to _stay_? What the heck was even happening anymore... "Grandpa?" Gwen asked, "Me and Melody are going to go outside for a bit. Is that okay?" He nodded, smiling, "Go right ahead."  
"Me and Kevin are going too!" I declared, pointing upward. Gwen smirked, "No way, doofus. Girls only." She just called me doofus... Okay, roll with the punches; "I was just kidding. Who would want to hang out with a dweeb like you?" Grandpa sighed, walking out of the Rustbucket. Once he was gone, I said; "Um... We're still good, right, Gwen?" She smiled, "Of course. Come on, Zeke." Then, they left.

**(Switched P.O.V.)**

Once a good ways away from the RV, Gwen sniffed, rubbing her eyes. Zeke tilted her head, "Are you alright, Gwen?" She turned to face the other, tears threatening to fall from her eyes, "I-is it bad that I miss life? The way it was before..? With... Grandpa Max? Messing around with Ben? Like nothing else mattered?" So many mixed emotions bounced around in her head, the best thing was to tell someone. "We're all grown up now and..." Gwen paused. "Nothing's the same now and... I miss that summer so much, Zeke..." Would Zeke be able to understand what was going through her head? Zeke shrugged, looking to the side as she put her hands in her pockets, "We all look back on the past, don't we? Humans always want things to be the way they were 'back then' because they're unhappy with the way life is now. But, when you think about it, the present isn't that bad." Smiling, she looked at Gwen, "I mean, if it was still this summer, the summer that everything happened, Kevin would still be an enemy and I wouldn't have even met you guys." This made the girl fall silent, staring with wide eyes. Zeke was right - Gwen couldn't imagine a life without Kevin right there, fighting by her side. Or a life without Zeke, the person Gwen couldn't help but consider as her best friend, who had saved her butt countless times before. Then, the tears suddenly fell and she rushed forward, tackling Zeke in an embrace. Zeke stumbled back, falling onto her bottom but wrapped an arm around Gwen, "Woah..! Are you alright?" Gwen cried into Zeke's chest, soaking her shirt with tears. There was silence for a moment. Then Zeke sighed, rubbing the younger Gwen's back, "There there. I'm right here." Gwen couldn't be more grateful to have Zeke there, to be the only one that saw her in such a confused and emotional state. But, it confused her to think; Was she the only one who felt this way?

**(Normal P.O.V.)**

"What do you wanna do?" Kevin asked, swinging his feet as he sat on the tree branch above mine. I looked up at him, "I dunno, what do you wanna do?"  
"Kick DarkStar's ass."  
"Language, Kevin!"  
"Like it matters."  
I sighed, "You're lucky Zeke saved your butt." He smirked, "No kidding. Your grandpa is pretty scary." I frowned lightly, looking ahead at the Rustbucket and Grandpa Max as he prepared the grill for whatever monstrosity of a meal we were having. "I miss this." Kevin hung from the branch so that he was closer to me, "Miss what?"  
"This; lounging around, doing absolutely nothing. High school is a pain and dealing with evil aliens everyday is horrible... You just never get a break."  
Kevin raised an eyebrow, "Would you rather have continued living your life, arguing with Gwen all the time instead?" I snorted, "Please. We would have grown up to respect each other like we do now." He looked me dead in the eyes, "The world you want," he said solemnly, "is a world without the Omnitrix." My eyes widened and I glared at him, "No way man." Kevin nodded, swinging up so that he could sit on his branch normally again, "It's true. Without the Omnitrix, no aliens, no problems, nothing wrong. But, then you wouldn't have saved Gwen all those times and she would be the one with powers. Plus, saving each other all the time creates a kind of respect between two people. And, here's a bonus; We probably wouldn't be friends and, in the future, we wouldn't have met Zeke." I flailed a bit, "Why do you sound responsible!?" I demanded, "What have you done to my Kevin?!" He snorted, leaning forward, "_Your _Kevin?"  
I laughed, looking ahead again with a smile on his face. As weird as it was to say, he was right. Plus, I didn't want a world without the Omnitrix or Kevin. Or the friendship I have with Gwen. Or Zeke. Things were fine the way they were. I mean, saving the universe with my greatest friends in the world by my side? Things couldn't be better. Probably.

**(Switched P.O.V.)**

Gwen frowned, "I can't find anything, " she complained to Zeke, "When I think I've found something, it vanishes! Like it knows that it's being tracked!" Zeke looked back at her from her spot on the ground, "Need help?"  
"You can track stuff?"  
"Don't know," Zeke said, standing up, "But you never know." Gwen sighed, resting her head in her hands. Zeke was a lot like Ben. A little too much like him. Zeke pulled up her scarf and, with the usual flash of red, became the Ninja. Facing the opposite direction, she closed her eyes, "Let's keep trying, Gwen." Gwen nodded before focusing again. Little did she know that, inside Zeke's mind, a chase was happening-  
Over the buildings, under the bench, the Ninja ran, focused on something unseen, concentrating like a hunting dog. They slid across the ground as they tried to turn around, their invisible prey bolting past them. Following, the Ninja sped up, the form of its prey becoming clear. But the shape was hidden behind darkness - The prey itself just looked like a shadow. Now, determined to catch it before it could ask, the Ninja was running at inhuman speeds, each step igniting on the ground. The shadow looked back at the Ninja before letting out a roar. The two were running, not making much progress - distance wise - against the other. Suddenly, the scenery became all too familiar to the Ninja. Trees zipped past and panic filled the Ninja's veins as the shadow reared back, looming over two people; A red haired girl sitting criss-crossed in the air and another girl standing with her hands together, her red scarf blowing in the breeze. The Ninja brought their hands together, squeezing their eyes shut. They prayed they weren't too late.


	4. Chapter 4

Zeke's eyes snapped open and she grabbed the back of Gwen's shirt, pulling her to the side as they barely dodged the shadow's attack. Gwen's eyes widened, "What the hell!?" Zeke released her, pulling her sword out from her scarf, "Found it. Or... It found us."  
"What is that?!"  
"The concentrated magic."  
Gwen's eyes widened even more, "It shouldn't be moving like that! Is it alive?!" Zeke's eyes narrowed, "Don't know, don't care." The shadow rose to its full height, towering a good 3 inches over Zeke. She spun the sword once before tightening her grip on the hilt. Something seemed off. The shadow lunged forward, causing her to take a step back and to the left, the side of the shadow sliding against the sword. Zeke shoved the sword into the shadow, pushing it away from her before striking, slashing through the shadow's middle. The two halves reconnected and it became a small twister. Zeke prepared herself, unsure when the shadow would attack again. From the center of the twister, the shadow shot forward, slamming its head into her sword. It shoved her back at wild speeds. But, where its head touched the blade, orange flames flickered, burning the dark away. With a final jolt, the shadow knocked Zeke away and into a tree. Gwen ran towards the Ninja, "Ze! Are you alright?" Zeke groaned, pushing against the tree into a sitting position, "I'm fine... Are you sure you can't do anything..?"  
"I already tried."  
"Really?"  
"But it was wasted. Not a thing happened!"  
Zeke swore quietly under her breath, glaring at the shadow as it waited patiently for her. Gwen frowned lightly. What had been with that fire? The shadow sure didn't like it, whatever it was. Zeke rose to her feet, grabbing her sword with both hands before wincing, dropping it to the ground. Both she and Gwen stared in shock at her hands - Her left hand, well, the suit over it, was ash gray, as if decayed. From under the material, smoke escaped. Gwen looked at the hand then at Zeke with concern, "Are you oka-" She stopped, staring with wide eyes at Zeke's angered face. Swearing again, she grabbed her sword and rushed forward, towards the shadow.

**(Normal P.O.V.)**

Kevin and I sat at the picnic table, Grandpa Max cooking _something._ Seriously, we didn't even know what it was. All seemed fine. Except for the fact that Gwen and Zeke were still gone. Suddenly, Grandpa Max stiffened, looking towards the trees. Kevin and I did the same. Only to see Gwen running towards us, panting for breath as she ran, "Ben! Kevin!" She didn't even acknowledge Grandpa Max - Did she forget he was there? We both stood up, "What is it?" I asked. She pointed in the direction she came from, "I-I can't do anything..! Ze needs help! Hurry!" Well, that was all we needed. Kevin absorbed the wood of the table and the three of us booked it in Zeke's direction. I heard Grandpa Max call for us; "Ben? Gwen?! Where are you going?!" We kept running, stopping when we saw a black and red figure dashing in all directions around a tall shadow. Zeke sprung up and swung her sword into the shadow's neck, only to be launched backward by a hit to the chest from the shadow. Gwen shot blue magic - because that's what it looked like when we were young - from her hands, making a Jell-O cube beneath Zeke, cushioning her fall. But, because of the suit, the cube disappeared. Kevin's hands became mallets and he rushed towards the shadow. Gwen looked at me, "Fire hurts it!" she announced, running towards Zeke, "Go HeatBlast!" I grinned, activating the old Omnitrix, "Man, I haven't used him a long time!" I slammed down on the Omnitrix, hoping it would work instead of picking an alien I didn't want, like it usually did. "Success!" I shouted, running towards the shadow as my feet burned the grass. Normally, I would've shouted my name, but not back when I first got the Omnitrix. Sticking with the times, thank you very much. Kevin's attacks weren't doing anything to the shadow - It just re-formed. So, hopefully Gwen was being serious. I brought my hands up and shot blazing fire at the shadow. It screeched in pain, shrinking to the ground. Grandpa Max finally caught up to us just as the shadow burned away.

All seemed fine. Notice the word "seemed". I looked at Kevin who gave a thumbs up, shedding his wooden armor. "Um... Guys?" Gwen called. We ran towards her. "What's going on?" Grandpa Max asked. However, we all ignored his question, running over to Gwen to see what was up. Then we saw it; the little kid she was helping to sit up. The girl's dirty blonde hair was up in pigtails with bows and she wore a sky blue dress. I crouched in front of her, "Um... Ze?" She lifted her head, blinking at me. Gwen looked at Kevin, "She's actually kinda cute with pigtails."  
"Pigtails?" little Zeke questioned. I extended a hand, "Come on, stand up." She took my hand, hardly reacting to the fact that I was still HeatBlast, and I pulled her to her feet. We were almost the same height now (Except she was a little shorter). Her eyes widened, "No. No freaking way." She looked at her clothing and facepalmed, "Great..." Gwen paled, "Wait... Ze? Where's the scarf?" Panic pulsed through my veins as we all looked around. "If... I'm now 5 years younger..." Zeke said slowly, "I don't have the scarf..." Gwen looked at me, "If Ze can't be the Ninja... We can't get out... We'll be trapped." The Omnitrix timed out and I looked at the ground in pure shock. Were we really going to be trapped in the past? Forever?


	5. Chapter 5

"Start talking," Grandpa Max ordered, his arms crossed over his chest as we sat at the picnic table in front of him. When no one started talking, he sighed, "Then, let me guess; Kevin is still bad, Melody has some magic ability that allows her to change her appearance, and that shadow-thing was just some coincidence." It was strange hearing Zeke be called by her real name. Speaking of which - Zeke took a breath, "Mr. Tennyson, Kevin is not bad. And, no, I don't have some magical ability. See... I was sent back in time and the effects finally caught up to me. Kevin and your grandchildren know my situation and have been trying to help me." Gwen, Kevin, and I stared at her in shock. She was hiding the fact that we _all _were sent back. Grandpa Max raised an eyebrow, "Situation?" Zeke nodded, "Yes, sir. See, in order for me to get back, I needed to destroy a source of concentrated magic. That shadow earlier _was _the concentrated magic. It's not supposed to be like a living entity."  
"And you need to destroy it in order to get back? Hm..."  
We stared at him for a while. Then, he sighed, "Is there any way we can help?" I mentally punched the air. Oh, the joys of having an awesome grandpa! She nodded, "We just need to track it down again." I leaned forward to look at her, "I thought I killed it already." Kevin rolled his eyes, "Please, Tennyson. If you had, Melody wouldn't still be here." I looked down at my lap, "Oh, right. Whoops." Grandpa Max tapped his chin, as if deep in thought, "Do you have the means to defeat it for real?"  
"Of course."  
I stared at Zeke in shock. I had expected hesitation! After all, we didn't have the scarf anymore. Grandpa Max nodded, "Okay. We will help you find the magic and take you to it. But that is all. I will not let my grandchildren-" He glanced at Kevin. "-or their friend, risk their lives." Zeke stood up, "Understandable. Thank you very much." He nodded, smiling like he normally would, "Of course, Melody." Kevin reached and grabbed Zeke's left hand, causing her to wince, "OW! What was that for, Kevin?!"  
"Helping you notice."  
She looked down at her hand and nearly flipped out; The entire hand - save for part of her fingers - was black and...crusted? The decay-like thing on her hand was slowly working its way up her arm. Gwen's eyes widened, "We should hurry. That thing is bad news. Melody, can you still search for it like earlier?" Zeke hesitated for a bit before nodding, "I can try." The two climbed onto the table and faced opposite directions. Gwen began floating and Zeke put her hands together as if she was praying. They then stood there, completely still. I looked at Kevin, and Kevin looked at me. We were both completely useless in this situation. Hours seemed to pass - the sky had grown dark and the bugs were out. Kevin whacked a mosquito as it flew by his ear, "We're getting nowhere like this!" Grandpa Max put a finger to his lips, "Hush. Let them concentrate." I looked down at the Omnitrix, remembering how it would act when something was wrong. Well, that's what it would do in the present. I tilted my head, tapping on the dial out of boredom. Suddenly, at the same time, Zeke and Gwen stiffened, their eyes flying open, "I found it!" they shouted. Grandpa Max nodded, "Okay. Load up!"

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Grandpa Max asked as the Rustbucket sped down a dark, winding street. Zeke put a hand on her head, "It moves... I'm not sure anymore..." Kevin threw his hands up as he sat at the table, "Then we're wasting time!" I grinned, "Wait, I have an idea. Melody, give Gwen your messed up hand." Zeke raised an eyebrow but did so. "Your hand got that way because of magic, remember?" She stared at me blankly but then, her eyes widened, "You're right... Gwen, try tracking the magic using the stuff on my hand!" Gwen held Zeke's hand and closed her eyes. After a while, she said; "We're going the right way. It didn't move!" Grandpa Max nodded and we continued on our way. After a few minutes of driving, the Rustbucket came to a screeching halt, throwing me towards the dash board - Thank god I had been wearing a seatbelt! The others hadn't been so luck;. Zeke was thrown off her feet, skidding against the carpet, Gwen was thrown against the back of her seat, and Kevin hit the kitchen table. **Hard. **Grandpa Max looked at me then at the others, "Everyone okay?" Zeke sat back on her heels, rubbing her head, "Yes but... What happened?"  
"Dead end," he replied, "How close are we?"  
Gwen took Zeke's hand again, closing her eyes, "Very." I paused before looking at Grandpa Max, "Which means..." He sighed before looking forward again, putting the Rustbucket in reverse but not moving anywhere, "Which means, this is as far as we go. Good luck, Melody." I couldn't say anything against him. But... We were going to let an unarmed, 9-year-old-ish Zeke go on her own? To fight something that had managed to kick her butt as the Ninja? Gwen looked at Grandpa Max then at Zeke. She took her other hand, "Please be careful, Ze..." Kevin stood up and put a hand on her shoulder, "Geez... I'm actually worried about the outcome... But you've got this. Kick butt, got it?" Zeke nodded and he grinned, "Oh, and give it a good 'ol whack from me!"  
"Will do."  
I looked at Grandpa Max and he nodded. Unbuckling, I stood up before walking over to Zeke, "I know we'll see you again in the...um...future..?" The others shrugged - Heck, we didn't know what to call it anymore. She nodded and went for the door front door, opening it and stepping out into the dark. I was about to close the door behind her when my body froze up. Zeke walked towards the front of the Rustbucket, but, a horrible feeling in my gut told me that, if we really were going to go separate ways, that something bad was going to happen. She was in front of the Rustbucket, about to hop over the road block, when I let my body take over, ignoring the other thoughts in my head. I let go of the door and ran out of the motorhome, "Zeke... Wait!" She turned around just as I, basically, crashed into her, wrapping my arms around her, "Just...wait a second..." Zeke was stiff, "Ben..? What's wrong?" Sheesh, I couldn't tell her I had a bad feeling! That would make her panicky. And that would be bad in this situation. "Nothing..!" I lied, moving away a little bit but still technically hugging her, "Just... Kick butt! And, um, be careful. Don't be stupid and try to be all heroic." She smirked, raising an eyebrow, "What? Like you?" I puffed out my chest, "Exactly! Only I can pull a me!" Zeke laughed and stepped away from me, "It'll be fine, Ben. There's nothing to worry about." With another grin, she hopped over the road block and disappeared from view.

**(Switched P.O.V.)**

It was ironic for the concentrated magic to be in a warehouse, like how this whole mess started. Zeke crept through the building quietly, making sure to be stealthy. Like a Ninja. She frowned, touching her neck where the scarf should've been. Why couldn't she have it with her? And why did she lie about being able to handle the situation on her own? She had nothing to fight with! Taking a breath, she closed her eyes, and listened. Things creaked around her but none actually grabbed her attention. Zeke frowned, listening more carefully. She had to block out the unnecessary sounds if she was going to find the magic. Suddenly, a man's voice spoke in her ear, _"You need to be patient. Don't force the need for silence. Every sound is important to a ninja." _As if on their own, her ears focused on the obvious sounds like the creaks. She had to listen. Only listen. Then, there was complete silence.

**(Normal P.O.V.)**

"Um... Grandpa?" Gwen asked. Grandpa Max had his head against the steering wheel, not saying a word. In fact, we were still in the same place; Right in front of the road block. "Grandpa? Are you alright?" I asked. He suddenly hit the steering wheel with his fist, "God, what am I doing..." He suddenly stood up, turning to look at the three of us as we sat at the kitchen table, "I know I said we'd just take her there and that was it," he said, "But... I can't let her go alone." Kevin, Gwen, and I jumped to our feet, each of us with a large grin on our faces. Grandpa Max blinked in surprise, as if stunned to see us so enthused to jump into danger. But what could we say? Zeke is our best friend!


	6. Chapter 6

**(Switched P.O.V.)**

Zeke sprung up and out of the way of her cover as it exploded, bits and pieces flying in all directions as the dark energy crashed down where she had just been. She needed a plan. Standing on one of the stacks of boxes in the warehouse, Zeke watched the shadow with a heavy frown. The only reason she could see it in the darkness of the warehouse was because it was pitch black and moved. It didn't like fire, that much she knew. But there was nothing she could do, not as a normal her.

_Do not hesitate, warrior, _spoke a man's voice, _You must not hesitate - fight it as best you can. I will assist._

She wasn't alone. Zeke jumped from the stack of boxes, landing on the top of a shelf, "Yo, ugly!" she shouted, causing the energy to 'look' in her direction, "Over here!" It blasted towards her at sudden speeds. Waiting until the last possible moment, she jumped over it, dropping towards the ground with a grunt. "I'm starting to not like younger me..." she muttered, staggering as she returned to her feet, "Not enough stamina, not enough strength, not enough agility." The man chuckled in her head, _Yesterday's__ weakness is tomorrow's strength._

Zeke smiled, dusting off her old dress, "I guess.." The energy roared, and the voice said only one thing; _Get ready - it's coming._

Jump, duck, step, kick. It was all part of a pattern. Zeke was managing to avoid being hurt and had succeeded in landing a few hits. But there was no other progress: Without fire, this battle was going nowhere until one of them became tired. Being only a human, it would be her. _Enough avoiding, _the voice instructed, _We are getting nowhere. Warrior, we must take risks, understand? _Zeke sighed, looking back at the wall, "Good, I was getting tired of being constantly cornered." The energy rose over her like a wave, growling. She frowned lightly as she watched it. "You know..."

_Hm?_

"...after this, I don't ever want to be powerless again."

_What power are you referring to? _the man asked, _The power of the Ninja? _Zeke sighed, "No... If Kevin was here, he wouldn't even consider stopping, Gwen would speak logically to us all, even handle our defenses, and Ben..." Her fists clenched at her sides as she glared at the wave with a newfound energy of her own, "And Ben would be fighting with all of his strength, attempting any plan he comes up with on the fly. Hell, he'd be motivating us."

_Power of your companions. I believe it to be stronger than any lone power or item._

He paused for a moment, _Then, fight with the power your friends gave you before you departed. Win, and they all will return to their time. _She lifted her hands, smirking, "C'mere, stupid thing, I have to hurry up and kick your can." The wave roared in anger before crashing down on her.

Zeke slammed her fist into it with as much strength as she could. It didn't do much, but it did surprise the energy, bringing it to a stunned halt. Knowing it wouldn't last long, she jumped onto its back, running across it, "Come and get me!" And it tried, bending like a snake as it tried to slam it's front - which was its head - down onto her. But it was to slow; Zeke was already on the ground. "What's explosive in here?!" she demanded. _Strike a source of power in a certain way, and it is sure to create a spark. Leave it to the spark, and everything will burn. The flames are sure to ignite something explosive, _the voice informed her. She frowned lightly, running around the warehouse, avoiding attacks from the energy, "Why wait for the fire?" she asked, "Why not do it ourselves?" The man cleared his throat awkwardly, _I am not familiar with these times - I don't know how else to trigger something like that. _Zeke sighed, her gaze scanning the walls, "It's better than nothing.." She then stopped as complete silence filled the warehouse, "Wait... Where'd it go?" The energy was nowhere to be found. "Did it run?"

_Above!_

There was no time to react; the energy pierced down from the ceiling above, the landing sending Zeke flying up into the nearest wall. It didn't even allow her a chance to breathe during her fall back to the ground. It was inches from colliding her with a second time before everything went dark and the energy screeched in rage. Zeke was in a bundle of warmth. It was so nice - she wanted to close her eyes, to fall asleep. But that couldn't happen. By sound alone, she knew something - _someone - _was attacking with alien tech. "Nice shot!" shouted a familiar voice. Then, came the logic; "Kevin, focus!"

The voice in Zeke's head chuckled, _I like your friends. _A smile formed on her face, "I do, too..." The darkness unfolded and an alien's face stared down at her, "Ze!"

**(Normal P.O.V.)**

We had arrived just in time. Zeke's face was bruising and she had marks made from her crash. She gave me a smile, trying to sit up, "I told you guys I had this covered." Kevin spoke up as he tried crushing the energy, "Oh, yeah, you _totally_ had things covered." Grandpa Max fired his weapon repeatedly at the energy and Gwen was attacking with her spells. I had transformed into Cannon Bolt and caught Zeke just in time. The energy couldn't penetrate my tough shell, so that was great. Smiling, I looked at her again, "Can you still fight?" She smirked, getting to her feet, "I can always fight, Ben." I nodded, "Do what you can. I have to use my transformation as much as I can before it times out." So, I left her to her own devices, curling into a ball and rolling towards the wave as it reared back.

I came off of the ground and slammed into what I assumed to be its back, bringing it down to the floor. This allowed Gwen, Kevin, and Grandpa Max to go all attacking with all they had. The energy wasn't recovering anymore; we were winning.

Well, you know how that song and dance goes.

I heard it; the beeping of the Omnitrix as it timed out. With a flash of red, I was standing there. The wave rumbled beneath my feet. "Ben!" Grandpa Max shouted, "Get away!" I jumped off before suddenly being whacked aside by the tail of the energy, crashing into boxes. Kevin was next to be sent flying, landing on top of me. I gasped before trying to shove him off, "Geez! How much do you weigh?! Get off!" He growleails lightly, his concrete armor shedding off, "Rude.." The wave sent boxes and metal shelves in our direction, but Gwen was suddenly there, throwing up a shield. That left Grandpa Max to fire his weapon nonstop, keeping the energy away. Gwen lowered the shield and looked at me, "Ben, we can't keep doing this! Nothing's working!" Grandpa Max backed up, his weapon falling to pieces in his hands, "Kids, get to the motorhome," he told us, "I'll keep it busy."

"No way!" I shouted, getting to my feet as I frantically messed with the watch, "I'm not leaving you!" But it didn't matter which one of us stayed, because Zeke was walking towards the energy, her face expressionless. I started towards her when Kevin stopped me, "She's got this," he said, "You can tell." I looked back at him before looking ahead again. Kevin was right - that's twice today. Zeke's hair was moving on its own, as if caught in the wind. Not only that, but she gave off is warm, orange light. "Embers..?" Gwen questioned. There were glowing embers that floated around Zeke. The air was burning up. Kevin tugged at the collar of his shirt, "I'm burning up..!" Her footsteps ignited in flames as she stuck her hand out to the side. The wave roared before snaking forward, ready to bring Zeke down. She let out something of a battle cry before swinging her hand at the energy. The wave exploded into flames and, standing there, a flaming sword in her hand was the Ninja. The energy burned away and then I heard Grandpa Max speak; "Ben..? Gwen..? What is happening to you..?" I raised an eyebrow as I looked at him. Gwen put a hand on my shoulder, "We're leaving, Ben."

Indeed we were. All four of us - Gwen, Kevin, Zeke, and myself - were glowing, the light becoming brighter with each passing second. Zeke came over to us, the scarf around her neck, "It's over, finally." Grandpa Max looked between us all, "What is this..?" I waved both hands frantically, "I'll tell you some time in the future, Grandpa! I promise!" Then the warehouse burned away in bright white light.

Kevin slammed Darkstar into the nearest wall, "Man, it sucks to be you." Darkstar flailed, "No! My portal!" I looked at Gwen, who was back to her age. We were back. Darkstar broke free of Kevin's grasp and attempted to fly away. But he didn't get very far. The flaming sword came from nowhere, blocking his escape route. The way Zeke's green eyes sparkled told me she was grinning. With the wave of her hand, Gwen had Darkstar trapped again. This time, for good. Zeke approached him, pointing her flaming sword at the center of his chest, "Better start talking."

Turns out he wanted to travel back in time to acquire more power. Clearly, that didn't work out very well. Zeke stood by me as Kevin handled 'interrogating' Darkstar and Gwen worked as his 'lovely assistance'. I looked at her as she pulled down her scarf, "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, what about you?"

I stretched, grinning, "I could really go for a smoothie." She laughed lightly, "I should've guessed. Tell you what; we get smoothies after this, my treat." Before I could say anything, she slumped against me - I had to catch her and hold her up so that she didn't hit the floor, "Ze?" There was a small smile on her face as she leaned into me, holding onto one of my arms, "So, mind telling me what that hug from earlier was about?" There goes my cool, right out the freaking window. "I-it wasn't about anything..!" I stammered, "Motivation, or something like that." Zeke laughed, looking up at me, "Yeah, okay." Then, she lowered her head, closing her eyes.

What an idiot... Falling asleep so randomly. I heard Kevin say to Gwen; "Five bucks says that Julie is going to be jealous." Guess who got whacked.

* * *

**Yup. So that's a thing.**

**Hey, after fighting so much, you'd probably fall asleep randomly too!**

**This took too long to finish. Especially since, after the usual deadline for things written in the Doc Manager had passed and the original ending of this was deleted, I had to rewrite it. And the ending is sort of crappy. Oh well.**

**_-ShockScythe_  
**


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